NPR News: 04-27-2026 5AM EDT

The NPR News Now episode from April 27, 2026, covers a range of developments including a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents Association dinner, military actions in Lebanon amid a ceasefire, a Supreme Court case on Virginia's congressional redistricting, and severe weekend storms across the central U.S. These stories highlight security concerns, ongoing conflicts, electoral map disputes, and weather impacts without a single overriding theme.

Suspect in White House Dinner Shooting

Cole Allen, a 31-year-old teacher, mechanical engineer, and computer scientist from Torrance, California, faces arraignment today in federal court on multiple charges related to Saturday night's shooting at the White House Correspondents Association dinner. NPR confirmed Allen visited gun ranges in Southern California and attended at least one No Kings March; his apparent LinkedIn page lists him as an independent game developer by experience and teacher by birth, with no prior criminal record found. A White House official reported that Allen sent family members a manifesto expressing intent to target Trump administration officials. Armed with a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives, Allen charged a security checkpoint outside the event's ballroom, where he was tackled by law enforcement after a Secret Service agent was shot. The annual private dinner faced noted security challenges